The Elimination
by DreamsCanBeRealities
Summary: America Singer is your average Rebel captain, being the sister of Kota, the prestigious Rebel leader. The two, along with the other Rebels, will do whatever it takes to kill King Clarkson and Queen Amberly. But when Kota decides the next to best thing to do to get rid of the royals is to enter America into The Elimination, nothing goes as planned... (CLICK ON CH 1 FOR FULL SUMMARY)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first fanfic and I really hope you guys like it! I swear this will be the shortest chapter in this thing.**

_SUMMARY: America Singer is your average Rebel captain, being the sister of Kota, the prestigious Rebel leader. The two, along with the other Rebels, will do whatever it takes to kill King Clarkson and Queen Amberly for complicated reasons. But when Kota decides the next to best thing to do to get rid of the royals is to enter America into The Elimination, a sort of 3-round competition held to find Prince Maxon a wife, nothing goes as planned, especially when Aspen disagrees to her entering and she falls for the charming prince herself. Will she ever make it through to round three or will she be the first to go, aka. get killed?_

"You want me to do what?!" I screamed.

Kota grinned. My older brother can be such a pain in the butt when he's acting like the Rebel leader instead of like a real older brother. "I want you to fake being one of the Elimination contestants and do what you have to to get rid of Maxon when he becomes attached to you. I mean, come on! We all know that you're pretty and amazing and he's bound to fall for you."

I fumed and balled my fists. I turned to my boyfriend. "Aspen! Do something!"

He was staring at Kota with his mouth wide open. "Kota do you think that's necessary? Can't we just attack them by surprise?"

Kota laughed. "A surprise attack? We did that last time and only killed 200 men! I was going for 600. I think this plan is by far the most creative one I've come up with! Plus, you're just saying that cuz you don't want anyone else falling for America, Aspen. Admit it!"

I blushed and refused to look at Aspen although I felt his green eyes boring holes through my head.

This was by far the craziest Rebel meeting yet.

I took a deep breath. "Are you sure this is the best way to get the job done? I really don't like girls who care of nothing but their hair and swords..."

Hair and swords. Nothing in common.

The Elimination is this competition thing that King Clarkson of Illea made up to find his son, Maxon, a wife. The competition consists of three levels. First, the beauty portion of the contest. Second, a mock war between the remaining 20 out of 35 girls. And last, the surviving 5 girls will move on to the mystery round.

Aspen was still listing things that could go wrong and additional ideas that could replace my brother's.

I took another deep breath. "Kota?"

He turned to me, wearing a big, bright smile. It kind of scared me. "Yeeessss...?"

"Are you sure this is the only way to end Clarkson and Amberly's reign?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Positive."

Aspen groaned. "Oh brother. She's gonna say yes."

"Alright." I nodded to emphasize my agreement.

Kota wrapped me in a hug, acting like a brother now. Aspen punched the wall, hard.

"I'll have Gaia get the sign up sheet from you later," I said as I tried to pry his arms off of me. Kota really is a loving brother, he's just a little wack in the head sometimes.

I waved at Aspen and made my way to Aliker Central. Aliker Central is where Kota, May, Kenna, Gerad, and I live. They're my brothers and sisters. Aspen and his family live there too. It's basically reserved for Rebel captains or generals and their families. That would be me, Kenna, Aspen, and of course Kota.

When I finally arrived at my suite, I called for Gaia Wood, some important royal from the royal palace of Illea. I captured her a couple weeks ago. She used to hate me, but now, I guess you could call us friends. Gaia's my servant although she does go to help in the kitchens with Aspen's servants once in awhile.

Gaia came running in. "Yes, Miss America? You called me?"

I nodded. "Yes. Go fetch the Elimination sign up sheet from Kota, will you?"

Her eyes grew to be the size of UFOs. "If I might ask, what for?"

"I am entering the competition, Gaia," I said smugly, enjoying her shocked expression. "Now leave me."

She looked like she'd like to say more, but she wisely turned around and left instead.

I sat down at my ivory colored desk, rapping my fingernails on the clean surface.

A few moments later, I heard shouting in the hallway. "I can take it to her, Gaia! I'm perfectly capable of taking a damn piece of paper to my girlfriend's room." Aspen.

Inaudible chatter.

"Yes, Gaia."

More chatter.

"No, Gaia."

Then Aspen was opening my bedroom door. "Hey, Beautiful."

I scoffed. "First, don't call me that. I have a name. Second, what was all that yelling about?"

"Alright, alright." Aspen grinned, flipping his dark hair out of his green eyes with a quick toss of his head. "I was just telling Gaia that I could take the stupid paper to you and apparently, she doubts my ability."

I laughed. "I'm sure she does," I said with a smile.

"Well, aren't you nice?" He shot back.

"Yes. Yes I am." I snatched the sign up sheet out of his hands and dropped it on my desk and my eyes scanned the paper up and down.

THE ELIMINATION

If you are between the ages 15 and 19, you are eligible to enter The Elimination, where you have the opportunity to compete for Prince Maxon's hand or suffer certain death! Simply fill out the form below and send it and a picture of yourself in before May 13th. One Daughter of Illea from each province will be announced as a contestant on Channel 4's Royals and Gossips.

Name:

Age:

Caste:

Province:

Height:

Weight:

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Skin Tone:

Hobbies:

Parents:

Siblings:

I stared down at the word 'Parents', scowling.

"Mer? You OK?" Aspen was at my shoulder, looking at me with a worried look on his face.

I nodded. "Yeah," I said unconvincingly.

"OK..." Aspen backed away hesitantly.

I read through the paper again before reaching out my hand to Aspen. "Pen."

He dropped a black, gel pen in the palm of my hand and I began filling in the blanks.

America Singer. 17. Five. Carolina. 5' 10". 123 pounds. Reddish brown. Green. Slightly tanned. Singing, violin, piano, and reading. (I was going to put in archery but that would have been an odd thing for a previous 5 to be interested in.) For "Parents", I put in "deceased." Kota, Kenna, May, Gerad.

All done. Kota would take care of my picture. I hope so anyway.

"Aspen!" I shouted.

He groaned. "I'm right here," he said from behind me.

I shoves the paper in his face. "Here ya go. Take it to Kota for me?"

"No!" he said stubbornly.

I stuck my bottom lip out. "Pwease?"

Aspen grinned mischievously. "I'll make you a deal."

"Oh no. This cant be good. He's gonna make me a deal..." I muttered.

"One kiss." He crossed his arms.

I blinked. "That's all?" I really expected him to make me run around Relity, the Rebel city where all us Rebels live, waving a flag that said "I LOVE ASPEN LEGER!" or something like that.

"Or we can do 5? I'm OK wi-"

I kissed him once, firmly on his lips. When I pulled back, Aspen was grinning. I pushed him out the door, and slapped his arm playfully before slamming the door shut.

It would probably take a while to get the form out of Relity but that's where I depended on the TV.

Royals and Gossips would announce the winners on May 15th. Exactly a week from today.

I guess I'll just have to wait 'til then to see if Kota's plan will work out. If everything goes the way he wants it to, pretty Prince Maxon will be my ticket to that murderous King Clarkson and his little wife and they'll all disappear for good.

**A/N: So... Whaddaya think? Worth continuing? Read and Review please! I appreciate the constructive criticism!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: And I'm back! Thanks for your reviews guys! And to my readers in Indonesia, well let's just say I never thought I'd have people reading my fanfic there... Anyway, enough of my rambling. Here's a new chapter!**

_I_ _watched in horror as King Clarkson fitted an arrow into his bow and fired it at my father. He did the same to my mother who was standing in front of me, protecting me, and I screamed. We were standing in the middle of a wood, in a bloodbath. I was only six years old and watching my parents being murdered. At that age, I didn't know what the king wanted so badly that he had to kill innocent people. On the television, he seemed to be a very kind and caring man but as it turns out, I was very, very wrong._

_I ran, as fast as my legs could take me, to find my siblings, praying they were OK so I wouldn't be alone. All I could think about as I scoured the woods was, Why?_

_Kota and Kenna were carrying May and Gerad and running to the little, underground cellar near our house that was built in case of emergencies such as these. All the while, Kota was screaming my name. "America! America, where are you?! America!" His voice was filled with pain and guilt of letting me out of his sight._

_Before King Clarkson and his small band of soldiers came marching into our village, me and my brothers and sisters were playing in a nearby stream. That's when my mother came running, shouting our names in complete and utter fear. When she caught sight of us, she grabbed mine and Kenna's arm, saying, "Come on. We have to go. There are very bad people here." Mother had a wild look in her eyes as she said this._

_Kenna shouted for Kota and Gerad and May to follow along. We were all together, walking briskly through the trees when the sound of hooves against the hard ground and neighing began to get closer and closer to where we were standing. Kota's eyes widened as he scrambled to pick up Gerad and May at the same time. "Mother, we need to get to the cellar," he had said._

_But she didn't listen. She said she wanted to find Father. That was probably the most painful moment of this traumatizing event. My mother not wanting to flee for her life because she wanted to make sure Father was OK and take him with us, when he was already dead. As Kota was speaking, Clarkson's arrow had already lodged itself in Father's chest and he fell to the ground in a heap, blood pooling around him._

_Mother screamed my Father's name and ran to him, pulling me with her. Another arrow found its mark in my mother's heart. Her sweet, caring, beautiful heart._

Then... I woke up.

* * *

I shot out of my bed, running my hands through my long, copper colored hair. Sweat dotted my forehead as I tried to assure myself that it was all a dream, a reenactment of the past. I looked around and found that yes, I was in my room and that it was all simply a dream. Then my eyes found the digital clock on my bedside table. 10:00 flashed on the small screen.

From there, I found myself scrambling around the room, trying to get ready. I had to leave in 15 minutes at the latest if I wanted to get to the Aliker Center Cinema on time. The showing of Royals and GOssips was at 10:30 on the dot. I dressed myself in a simple, hunter green, button down shirt and a pair of dark, skinny cargo pants. My eyes shot back to the clock. 10:11. I looked around for a pair of shoes, any pair of shoes. I found my pair of combat boots by the door. Yanking on a pair of socks, I hopped out the door on one foot as I pulled on one of the boots.

* * *

Kota glared at me when I arrived at the outdoor Cinema, braiding my hair.

"You're late," he said.

"I know."

"Why?"

I turned away and tied off my braid with an elastic.

Kota grabbed my shoulder and spun me around to face him. "Why?" he repeated.

I shot him an angry glare. "Please don't pry."

"Why?!" Kota insisted.

"Why do you have to know?" I snapped.

He narrowed his eyes. "were you doing something I wouldn't approve of?" He asked, quietly. Quiet is dangerous for the likes of Kota.

"No."

Kota nodded once. "Fine." He began walking away from me but stopped. He barely looked over his shoulder when he said, "Go sit down by Aspen."

"Fine," I said, a cold tint to my voice. _Why was I so angry? No, why was _he_ so angry?_

I stalked over to where Aspen sat. He was seated in one of the four taller chairs that were ser up behind the other, lain seats that were meant for the other, plain Rebel citizens.

The current population of Relity is 1, 26, 943. It's not much but setting up a city to fit this many people is not some safe thing to do In fact, I'm surprised King Clarkson hasn't made his appearance here. We've only been around for three years but that's plenty of time for him to try and destroy us.

The citizens that were already seated watched the show on the large screen while more people were still coming out and finding their seats.

I pulled myself up onto the chair and sighed, resting my head on Aspen's arm. He turned his head to look down at me. "You OK?" He whispered, against my hair.

I shrugged.

"C'mon, Mer. I know you better than that," Aspen said. "What's wrong?"

"Nightmares again," I said simply.

Aspen nodded understandingly. I've been having the same nightmare for years and it gets me every time. "Why wouldn't you tell Kota?"

"He'll just worry. He's a worry wart. You know that. I know that. Kenna knows that. Everybody knows that."

"Oh."

_That's all you have to say to me? Oh?!_ That's what I wanted to say, but I didn't. Why? I don't know.

My eyes flickered back to the screen and I watched as Gavril Fadaye, The Elimination announcer and the host of Royals and Gossips, gripped his mic and smiled straight at the camera. He was explaining each of the rounds of the competition. It's been a long while since the last Elimination. It was when Queen Amberly won Clarkson's hand. She claims she loves him to this day. I claim that she's lying. Who could love someone like him?

"The first round is - as you all know - the beauty round! The 35 special girls chosen will be dressed to impress and have a sort of fashion show for Prince Maxon and the king and queen. 15 of the young ladies will be eliminated and the remaining 20 will move on to round two which is the small battle between the competitors. They will fight to the death in a sort of dome-" a picture of this dome pops up on the screen. "and the remaining 5 girls will move on to the mystery round, thought up by Prince Maxon himself."

I shuddered. My mother told me of the mystery round King Clarkson had chosen. He chose to see who had the most talent so he had a talent show but that wasn't the problem. All of the "talents" had to be fighting or surviving related. I mean, what kind of talent is that? A talent is singing or art or playing a sort of sport, not seeing who can hurl knives at people with the best aim.

Prince Maxon appeared on the screen, sitting on a throne by his parents. I gritted my teeth as I saw King Clarkson lean in and whisper something to his wife. I hate him so much.

Gavril grinned. "And now, it's time to announce our lucky, 35 girls!" He pulled out a piece of paper that I'm guessing had the chosen girls' names written on it. "Our first young lady is Miss Fiona Castely, Three! Next up is Marlee Tames, Four!" When a picture of Marlee came up on the large screen, I heard the people around me gasp. She was gorgeous with her blond hair and big brown eyes. There was no way she _wouldn't_ make it through round one.

I turned my head to face Aspen. "She's beautiful. I'm never going to make it in with the way I-"

"Miss America Singer, Five!" Gavril said, happily. "Isn't she a sight!"

A picture of me came up on the screen and I gasped. The citizens of Relity screamed happily, sending congratulations my way. The photo Kota had sent in was the day of Aspen's birthday party last year. It was the one day of the year that I actually dress up. My hair was done up in a curled ponytail and i donned a simple, blue dress that stopped right below my knees. It was also the one day of the year that I actually felt pretty. My face was free of make up but I didn't look like I needed it. A smile was on my face. I remember feeling genuinely happy that day...

I looked to Aspen who had his jaw clenched and a scowl on his face. "No," he growled.

"What?" I said, narrowing my eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I can't believe you got in."

I gaped at him. "Excuse me?! What are you implying here? That you really didn't think I was good enough to make it in?"

He shook his head. "No."

My nostrils flared. Of all people, I expected him to be the happiest. If I win - when I win - we'd be free of the stupid king and queen and we'd be able to live normally without fearing that we'd be ambushed and killed every day. Didn't he want that?

I scowled at him and jumped down from my chair. I didn't realize that Kenna and Kota was also seated beside me until now. I stormed off to my room but not before hearing Maxon say, "I want that one."

**A/N: Thanks guys! Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well, I'm back! I know, fast update and honestly, I think this one could be better. But whatever! Enjoy!**

What did he mean, 'I want that one'? Surely not that he wanted me to win, out of all people. I'm nothing compared to Marlee. Well that's my opinion. I know I'm not drop dead gorgeous but I'm not ugly either. Other people might say otherwise but I've always disagreed and I'm not about to start thinking I'm beautiful just because of something Maxon said.

Marlee, on the other hand, looked like one of those people who were in the popular cliques and stressed themselves over what to wear and who to date next. I bet you she fawns over herself day and night, whispering to herself how pretty she thinks she is. _Maxon wants her,_ I thought to myself. _He doesn't want me. He wants her._

I made it to my bedroom and shut the door. The next step of The Elimination would be to head to the Dauntless Building which is where we'd be interviewed and meet Prince Maxon for the first time. The one thing I didn't like about the interview is that Maxon would be the interviewer and there would be people there to take notes on everything from our conversation, to my private life, to how much the blasted prince likes me.

I jumped up in the air and landed on my mattress with a soft thud. As soon as my head hit my pillow, I was out, not dreaming of anything for the very first time since I was six years old.

* * *

Later, I heard a knock on my door, interrupting my great - and I mean _great_ - nap. "Go away," I moaned sleepily, yanking the blankets over my head. "You're not welcome here."

"I'm not?" Kenna asked, shutting the door. "Well I never asked for your permission, little sister."

I kept my eyes clamped shut. "I don't care," I mumbled into my pillow.

"Well I thought you might want to know that Maxon is absolutely smitten with you. He hasn't even met you yet and he's already head over heels! I can't imagine how he'll react when he interviews you tomorrow," she said whimsically. "His exact words were 'I can't wait to meet Miss Singer tomorrow at 11 o'clock and I hope she's the first one I get to interview.'"

I sat up, suddenly, to find my sister sitting on the foot of my bed. "Tomorrow?!" I shrieked. "Why so early?!"

"He personally asked if he could interview you first, Mer," she said, confused at my outburst. "You should be very happy."

My head tilted back as I laughed, sardonically. "Happy? I might die in this freak competition and you expect me to be happy?!"

She cocked her pretty face to the side and her long, curly hair fell across her cheek. Kenna tucked her coppery locks behind her ear. "You realize hundreds, if not thousands, of other girls entered this "freak competition" and you were one of 35, Mer. You were one of 35 girls that were chosen to compete for the prince's hand in marriage."

"Yeah, but I'm only doing this so I can kill him," I pointed out.

"You're doing this so you can kill his parents," Kenna corrected. "That doesn't mean that you have to kill Maxon too. And not to mention you're doing all this out of revenge, America. No revenge is the best revenge of all," she said, quoting my mother.

When she puts it that way, it makes me sound like the bad guy here. I have never physically hurt anybody in my entire life. I would never hurt a fly. A gnat. An ant. Use whatever you want to to say that I am not violent whatsoever. But then again, I am out to assassinate two, very important people here. The king and queen, no less.

"Mother..." My voice cracks. "I wouldn't have any ideas of "revenge" if that bloodthristy devil didn't go out and kill my parents!"

Kenna stared at me and blinked. "They were my parents too, Mer," she said finally.

"You didn't watch them drown in their own blood," I snapped.

Her eyes are suddenly filled with concern. "America, are you o-"

"Don't give me that 'Are you OK' crap! No one cared to ask me that 11 years ago when I really needed it and you're gonna ask me now?!" I was breathing hard from my outburst. "Please leave," I said as calm as I could.

"Mer-"

"I said for you to go!" I growled.

She looked at me with sadness definite in her eyes, before walking out.

I glanced at my clock. 4:56. 18 hours until my dreaded interview with Prince Maxon.

* * *

Time went by way too fast because soon, it was tomorrow. I decided that if I was going to go, I was going to be completely myself. I wouldn't care if I insulted him, I would laugh at what I wanted to, and I'd forget about being too polite.

I walked towards my bathroom and found an outfit prepared on a hanger that was hanging from the doorknob. A note was taped on to the light blue blouse. I pulled it off and began to read.

Dearest America,

I know you probably would wear a ripped shirt and dirty pants to the interview if I didn't try to dress you well so I'm doing just that. Maybe you're still mad at everyone. Maybe you don't want to do The Elimination. But I want you to know that whatever you choose, I'll be rooting for you!

Love, Kenna

P.S. Aspen would like to talk to you and he sends his apologies for the other day. Please meet him down at the chocolate shop across the street from Aliker Center.

I was smiling up until I got to the P.S. Then that smile turned upside down. I crumpled up the note and tossed it over my shoulder. My room was already messy; one piece of paper won't make that big of a difference.

Actually, I was quite happy that Kenna decided to put an outfit together for me. My sense of style would probably win me a trip to visit a fashion class. We actually have those in Relity. Surprise, surprise.

Unlike me, Kenna had unbeatable fashion sense. I inspected the blue blouse that hung from the doorknob and the nice pair of black, skinny pants. A pair of heeled ankle boots were placed directly below them.

I shrugged and decided to give it a shot.

After getting dressed, I scanned myself up and down in the mirror. 'Hey, I look pretty good,' I thought cockily. I laughed. Who knew I'd ever think such a thing?

* * *

Kenna came in a couple moments later, holding a curling iron and a handful of hair pins.

"Oh, no," I said firmly. She was SO not doing my hair.

She smiled brightly. "Oh, yes."

"You can't make me."

"Oh, dearest, but I can," she said, nodding at me with a pointed look on her face. "We can do this the easy way, or the Kenna Singer way."

I glared at her but wisely sat down in a chair in front of my desk.

45 minutes later, my hair was curled and pinned to the side with a complicated braid done, halfway around my head, like a headband.

She bent her knees so she was cheek-to-cheek with me. "Wow," Kenna breathed. "You, America Singer, are going to knock that prince right off his feet."

I grinned. "And that was most definitely my goal."

* * *

Kota drove me to the Dauntless Building, making sure that nobody that wasn't Rebel saw us come out of Relity. As far as we know, no one knows where and what Relity is. What they do know is that the Rebels live somewhere unknown and only come out to do what they need to before completely disappearing again.

The small car was packed with Kenna, May, and Gerad in the back seat and me and Kota sitting in the front.

An awkward tension filled the vehicle as Kota drove on. We hadn't talked since our little argument the other day.

Gerad was the one to break the silence. "Mer Mer?"

I laughed at the old nickname. "Yes, Ger Bear?"

"Will you come visit us at Aliker Center?"

My laughing was cut short. Was I a bad person for never thinking about that until now? I know I'd have to be escorted but I'd never allow royal guards to escort me to Relity. That would blow everyone's cover and put them all in danger.

"Yeah, 'Merica. Are you gonna come see me?" May asked hopefully. "You're not gonna leave me forever right?" Her big eyes filled with tears. She was adorably sensitive!

"No! No, no of course not May," I rushed to reassure her. "I'll come back. I'm just not sure when..."

The car was once again silent. I briefly looked at Kota who had his lips tightly pursed and a scowl frozen on his face. It reminded my of Father's serious look and Mother's angry face.

Then, another face came to mind: Aspen's. I felt awful for not meeting him like Kenna's note mentioned and now, I might never see him again.

* * *

When we arrived at the Dauntless Building parking lot, we saw a sign nailed onto a tall, metal pole: NO

VISITORS. COMPETITORS ONLY. I got out of the car and by the looks of my family's faces, it seemed as though they were at my funeral. Only May seemed to be the one that was smiling proudly, as if she knew I would one day return. If only she knew that when I came back to see her, I might - just might - be dead.

I gave Gerad and Kenna tight hugs, and May a soft kiss on the cheek. Then there was Kota. He looked at me with sadness in his eyes. We spent a moment just looking at each other before we both stepped forward and gave each other a warm embrace. "I regret it now," Kota whispered softly. "This was a bad idea. You might never come back. You might d..." His voice trailed off and I know what he was going to say. I might die.

We stood there, in the middle of the parking lot, just holding each other, all the while, I was thinking of the things I left in Aliker Center and the faces I wouldn't see until The Elimination's end.

"Excuse me, America Singer?" A voice said, interrupting our moment.

I pulled away from Kota's tight hold and turned to the source of the voice. A young woman with black hair that fell over her shoulders in tight curls. "Hi, my name is Lucy," she said, extending her hand to me. I shook it, hesitantly.

"Nice to meet you," I said politely. "Lucy what? I mean, do you have a last name?"

Lucy smiled. "The pleasure is all mine and no. It's just Lucy." She said. "Wow, that photo of you did not exaggerate your beauty," she muttered, scanning me up and down with her eyes.

I laughed. "I'm flattered."

"Anyway," she began, releasing my hand. "Prince Maxon is ready for you."

My smile faltered. I looked back at Kota, Kenna, May, and Gerad. I took a step closer to my four siblings and forced a small smile. "Goodbye. I'll visit. I promise," I said, giving them all a big hug.

When I pulled away, Lucy gestured for me to come along. I began to follow her and turned once to wave at my remaining family. "Bye!" I shouted.

"Bye!" May and Gerad chorused, waving wildly. Kota and Kenna smiled at me and quickly turned away, getting back in the car.

Lucy ushered me into the Building and had me sit on a metal bench near the back. "Wait here," she said before walking into a nearby room.

I looked around and found myself captivated by the ceiling. It was made of different bits and pieces of colorful glass that was put together to make the roof. My eyes flickered to the walls and I was just admiring several paintings when all of a sudden...

"I like the painting of the beach at sunset best."

I looked up and came nose-to-nose with Prince Maxon.

* * *

He brought me into a room with nice, green walls with nothing in it but two chairs and a small, glass table. I sat in one and Maxon in the other. I couldn't help but notice the small crowd of people standing in the back, holding notebooks and video cameras. Lucy Just Lucy was one of the people taking note of my every move.

"So, America Singer, am I correct?" The prince asked, politely.

I forced a smile. "Yes, Your Highness." Then I remembered my promise: I will be myself. I don't care what he says or thinks of me. "I mean, yeah, who else would I be?"

Prince Maxon grinned. "Well, not only are you pretty, but you're not polite either. I like you more already!"

Is it just me or did that not sound right?

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

He laughed. "Anyways, I have to start asking you real questions so... Uh... What is the one thing you could never live without?"

"Archery," I blurted out, without thinking twice. Then, I wished I could take it back.

Maxon cocked his head at me. "Archery?"

"Uh but I'm really into singing too!" I added quickly. "And violin."

"Oh, I see..." He said. That cocky grin was back on his face again. "Sing something for me?"

At that moment, I choked on my saliva and burst into a coughing fit. Maxon shot out of his seat and began patting my back lightly. "Are you OK? America?"

I finally stopped hacking and tried to catch my breath. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

"You're sure?" He asked hesitantly, slowing backing away towards his chair.

I nodded. "I'm sure," I said, reassuringly.

"All right..." Maxon said, sitting down. "Well, now that you're not coughing your head off-" I blushed. "-I'll continue. What is your favorite color?"

Oh that one is easy. "Blue. But not dark blue. Baby blue like the sky when it's almost summer but not quite."

He nodded, smiling. "I see. OK uh... What are three qualities you'd want to see in a boyfriend or a husband?"

I had to think about that one. "Well, I'd want him to not be so serious so that he has a sense of humor. That's one thing. He also has to be able to protect me, so I feel safe. That's two. And third... He has to put me first before anything else, whether it's his job, his friends, whatever. I have to be the first priority in his life," I said. "Does that make sense?"

Maxon was quiet, smiling. He seemed to be studying my face.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, hesitantly.

"No, no," he said hurriedly. He grinned. "You have very high expectations, don't you?"

I nodded, smiling. "I guess you could say that. If I can't find someone like that, well, I suppose I'll just grow up to be an old maid, won't I?"

"Miss America Singer," Maxon began, sighing. "I will make sure that you find someone who exceeds your expectations." He smiled flirtatiously at me. "Even if that means going out of my way to help you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?" I said, unconvinced.

"Really," he confirmed. "Who knows? This guy you're looking for could be closer than you ever imagined."

* * *

The interview went surprisingly fast and I hate to say this, but I actually enjoyed it. Maxon was even easier to talk to than Aspen. Actually, I think it's OK to say that I like talking to the prince more than my own boyfriend! Is that wrong?

Maxon stood on his feet and I followed his lead. From how much we talked, the reporters would have millions of facts about me to pack into their magazines or wherever they were going to post this information.

I noticed what the prince wore for the first time: a pair of distressed jeans and a red graphic tee. I really expected him to be wearing tights and a cape, I mean seriously!

"It was very nice speaking to you, America," Prince Maxon stated. " I bet you're going to be my favorite out of the other 34 girls I'm interviewing today," he said with a wink.

As much as I didn't want to, I blushed. This guy was a flirt all the way. "Yeah, I seriously doubt it," I said with a snort. "Oh, Your Highness," I added quickly.

"No I'm pretty sure," he said, leading me towards the door.

As soon as I was out, he leaned in and whispered, "I'll be the one knocking on YOUR door tonight."

I looked up at him in shock. The man was so tall, that the tippy top of my head was three inches short of his shoulder. "You won't, Your Highness." For some reason the politeness came naturally, even though I tried to be rude. "I'm serious. I'll beat you with a stick if I have to to get you out."

"Oh, but Miss Singer," he began. "I will. And you won't hit me with anything."

He began to close the door but stopped short and pulled it open again. "By the way, please, call me Maxon." He winked at me with a grin on his face once more before shutting the door.

* * *

Afterwards, Lucy found me again. Apparently, she was some sort of escort of mine. We got into a long, black limousine and after an anxious 20 minutes, we arrived at the palace.

Lucy showed me my room which happened to be on the fourth floor. When she first opened the door for me, I gasped when I saw that three women in maid's uniforms were standing in a row, near the entrance to the room. They all curtsied to me. "Good afternoon, Lady America," they all sang in unison.

Well the next few months will be very different.

**A/N: Well, I think I sped through that one but oh well! Review, favorite, follow, whatever...**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm really sorry for my past grammatical errors, you guys! Anyways, you Vampire Diaries fans out there! Check out my friend AllThesePossibilites' fanfic called My Light! That would be the story that I spend time editing every chapter... Haha! Read & Review!**

_**Shout Outs!**_

_**Erin (Guest): Thanks so much for your reviews! You're so encouraging and I totally LOVE you!**_

_**livingtodance: I know! I love the series! Can't wait for the third book!**_

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_**flawed angel: Well, I try. Hehe.**_

"I will leave you in their capable hands," Lucy said, gesturing to the three maids with her hands. She smiled before leaving my new room.

I wanted to tell her not to leave me but she was already gone. My eyes found their way back to the three ladies standing in front of me.

The girl on the left had straight, dark brown hair that stopped just below her shoulders. The middle girl wasn't really that much of a... girl. She had to be at least 45. The one on the right was a young, pretty, teenaged girl. She looked to be around my age and had short, wavy, dark hair and crystal clear, blue eyes.

The middle woman curtsied again. "My name is Anna, Lady. It is a pleasure to be given the opportunity to serve you."

I smiled and nodded once.

Then, the brown haired girl curtsied to me. "And I am Mary, Lady. I am so glad to be working here and am very happy to serve you, as well."

"Thank you," I said, with a sweet smile.

Next, I expected the prettier girl to curtsy and introduce herself but she just kept her eyes up on the walls. Anna nudged her. Hard.

"Oof! Anna!" The girl hissed angrily. "Knock it off!"

Anna turned to her and muttered, "Say hi at least."

The girl turned to me and forced an overly sweet smile onto her face. "Hi, my name is Celeste and it so NICE to meet you," she said, more than just a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Anyone who spoke a word to her would know that she is NOT the person you want to talk to in a sad time, a happy time, or ANYTIME for that matter.

"Your eyes speak for you, Celeste," I said, nonchalantly.

The smile was plastered on her face but her eyes flashed in fury. "Excuse me?" She barely moved her lips as she spoke.

I shrugged. Just as I opened my mouth, Anna cut in. "Well," she said, clapping her hands "We must be getting you ready for the Meet-and-Greet Ball tonight. It's already-" she looked up at a gold clock with diamond encrusted, ticking hands. "-1:30! Oh I wish we had more time!"

Wow, my interview with Maxon lasted two hours and I actually enjoyed it. Yipee...! Not really. I didn't think it would take that long to get ready for a ball. Maybe I'm wrong?

Mary grabbed my arm. "Oh, Lady America, I'm sure we'll be great friends," she gushed. "Come along now! We're going to make you look like a princess!"

The overly excited girl dragged me across the large suite and into the even larger bathroom. It had a huge bath, an enormous walk in closet, an indoor pool, makeup table, and a small room within the bathroom that had mirrors covering every centimeter of the walls.

"Wow," was all I managed to say.

Mary shrugged. "It's OK, I guess." Her happy-go-lucky smile was back on her face. "I'll draw your bath!"

She started filling the tub with warm water and I began walking around the bathroom, marveling at how amazing it was just to be there. Relity had no such pleasures within our walls.

Relity. That's when I remembered why I was here. Kill Clarkson and Amberly, go home. That's all that I was supposed to do. Make happy happy with Maxon, get rid of him, and find a way to use that to get to his parents.

My mind flashed back to the prince and his face appeared in my head. Although I hate to say it, he was wildly handsome. I'm just stating the facts, it's not my opinion at all. Really.

"Lady America!" Mary sang. "Your bath is ready! I put in some lavender oil and rose scented bubbles for you! You're going to _love_ it."

I went back to the bath and looked at the bubble filled tub longingly. I could already feel the wonderful, warm water against my skin.

"Do you want me to help you undress?" Mary asked.

I shook my head. The thought of anyone seeing me in my undergarments gave me goose bumps. "No, it's OK, Mary. You can go."

She nodded. "OK. Holler if ya' need me!"

A giggle escaped my lips. "Totally."

Mary skipped out of the bathroom and left me to undress and bathe. I put my hair up in a loose bun and stepped into the welcoming water and let me tell you, it was the best bath I'd ever had.

* * *

I decided to wait until the water got cold to get out but the warm liquid never got any cooler. Then, my hands began roaming the sides of the bathtub and they found a heater. 'Well duh, America,' I thought. 'God knows how long I'd be in here if I waited for the water to get cold.'

"Mary!" I called. "I think I'm done in here."

I heard the bathroom door open and I expected Mary to walk in but it wasn't her. Who was it? Celeste.

"Mary is busy getting your gown ready so Anna asked me to come and help you, My Lady." She used the title like some sort of curse word.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I should have known that you didn't come in here by your own thoughtfulness," I said sarcastically.

Celeste just shrugged. "Well, who cares? I'm here aren't I?"

"Whatever," I muttered. I pointed to a plush, white towel that was draped over a towel heater. "Get me that, please."

She picked it up and tossed it in my direction. My arms flailed around as I tried to catch the flying piece of material and not let it touch the water. Thankfully, the heated towel flew into my waiting - kind of- arms. I began to boil over. "Celeste!" I snapped. "What is your problem?"

"You asked me to get you the towel. You never said to hand it to you nicely," she said simply.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!" I yelled, angrily. I rose my arms a little higher since my hands were tightly gripping the warm, dry towel. Please remember I am still in a bathtub, filled to the brim with yummy smelling bubbles and H2O.

Celeste glared at me and placed her hands on her hips. "Guess what, America? I'm my own person and this own person would much rather act the way she is than change just because some chick with a pretty face tells her to," she sneered.

"Celeste, you shut your face right this minute and get your ass back over here!" Anna yelled from the other room. A very angry, 45 year old woman stormed into the bathroom and slapped Celeste right across the face. Celeste held her now red cheek and gaped at Anna.

"Anna!" Celeste protested.

I sat there, enjoying Celeste's pain. 'Nice hit, Anna!' I thought. 'Do it again, do it again!'

The older woman sent Celeste a death glare and turned to me, her gaze softening. She curtsied. "Lady America, my apologies on her behalf. Please excuse Celeste. She can never control her tongue," she said, smacking Celeste lightly on the arm. "My daughter has always had that issue."

Wait, backtrack! "She's your daughter?" I asked in shock.

"Yes," Anna said, matter-of-factly. "Don't you see the family resemblance?"

Anna had coarse, brown hair; Celeste had wavy, dark hair. Anna had green eyes; Celeste had blue eyes. Anna had milky white skin; Celeste had nice tanned skin. Anna's nose was long and pointed; Celeste had a button nose. Anna was short and had soft curves; Celeste was tall and was boldly curvaceous all over. Yup, not seeing any family resemblance. Not to mention that Celeste calls her own mother by her first name. I mean, who does that? **(A/N: Sorry if this offends anyone!)**

"Oh yeah... You guys do have similar... Cheekbones," I said, lying through my teeth.

I've been told that I'm a terrible liar but Anna didn't seem to be able to tell the difference. A broad smile appeared on her face. "See! I knew there was SOME sort of resemblance, Celeste," she said, gleefully, nudging her daughter with her elbow.

"Mom!" Celeste groaned. "Don't touch me!" With that, she stormed off.

Anna turned back to me and seemed to just realize that I was sitting in a bathtub, hands up in the air with a large towel clutched in both of my hands. "Oh, let me help you with that, Lady!"  
She reached for the towel and shook it out before holding it out to me, waiting for me to step out of the bath.

I slowly got out and turned my back on her, not wanting her to see me. I grabbed the edges of the towel and wrapped it around me before pulling out the elastic that held my reddish brown hair up.

At that moment, Mary came running in. "Oh, Lady America!" She sang. "I just picked out the most _gorgeous_ dress that me and Anna made! It's absolutely wonderful!"

I laughed. "I bet it is, Mary." I shivered in my warm towel.

"You must be cold, Lady!" Mary exclaimed. "Come on! Let's get you to hair and make up! Put this on," she said, shoving a silky smooth robe in my arms.

I really didn't want to take my towel off in front of Anna and Mary and the older woman seemed to catch on to my being uncomfortable and ushered me into the closet where she shut the door and let me put my robe on. I found a few undergarments and put those on too, just in case something were to... happen.

I opened the door again and Mary was there by the white makeup table and matching chair, plugging in a curling iron. She saw me and her eyes lit up. "Lady!" She was waving her arms around wildly. "Over here!"

A laugh escaped my lips and I walked over to where Mary was and sat in the chair. "Well..." I began. I was going to tell her to go easy with the beauty stuff.

"Yes?" She said, an excited and hopeful look in her eyes.

My heart melted and a wide grin broke out on my face. "I'm in your hands now! Do whatever you want. Just don't make me look like a freak and then it'll be all good, OK?"

"Absolutely, Lady America! You are going to look exquisite after I'm done with you!" She squealed.

After 30 minutes of curling and hair spraying and pinning, I looked into the mirror and gasped. My hair was in elegant looking ringlets that hung down my back. Small portions of the hair above my ears were pulled back and met in the middle of the back of my head with a pearly, blue clip holding them together. It looked beautiful. "Mary... I don't know what to say..."

I guess it doesn't matter because Mary was busy getting make up together and laying them out on the table to hear what I had to say. "I'm going for sweet and pretty. Does that work for you, My Lady?"

I shrugged. "Sure." It's not like I knew any better.

My eyes stayed glued to the mirror, watching as Mary's skillful hands performed their miracle work. Not a single move of her fingers were wasted. I obeyed her when she told me to close my eyes, look up, turn my face... And soon, it turned out to be absolutely worth it.

My green eyes were outlined with a thin line of dark eyeliner. My eyelids were lightly dusted with baby blue eye shadow and my reddish lashes were now longer, and curled, and very black. I was surprised to find no make up on my cheeks and only a thin coat of pink gloss on my lips.

"Mary, you did an amazing job," I said, dreamily.

She giggled. "Just wait til you get into your dress! You are going to be the belle of this ball."

I let her lead me back to my bedroom where a mannequin in the corner was wearing a light blue, strapless, floor length dress that had layers and layers of thin, blue and white material, hanging from the waist, that was deftly placed in a way so the skirts looked like water. The upper part of the dress was tighter with a sweetheart cut and hugged the mannequin's curves nicely. A deep blue ribbon was wrapped around the waist and was tied in a tight bow in the back of the waist.

"Y-you made this?" I stammered.

Mary nodded. "With Anna's help of course. She helped me cut and hem the dress but the skirt was my handiwork. I really love the material," she gushed.

I ran my hands over the skirt and marveled at how smooth and silky the material really was. No wonder she chose it.

I smiled. "Well, it's fabulous."

"Yay! I'm so glad you don't hate it," she said, obviously relieved.

"I could never hate anything you made, Mary," I said, reassuringly. I looked back at the dress to the clock. It was 4:45 and all Elimination competitors were supposed to be at the Grand Ballroom at 5:30 sharp. "Well, let me try it on Mary!"

As she was removing the gown from the mannequin, I asked, "So how did you know my size, exactly?"

"Well, it was a long shot really. When we saw your picture, we thought you and Celeste might be the same size so we used her for sizing purposes," Mary explained. "We were so lucky that we thought right!"

I nodded and smiled. "OK."

She unzipped the zipper and began slipping the dress over my head while I struggled to get my head out through the abundant layering of material. As soon as my head was no longer draped with blue, Mary zipped the dress back up and straightened the skirts, tying the silky ribbon in a bow behind my back.

She then ran off and got a pair of matching, blue heels that were at least 4 inches tall. I have never worn shoes that had heels past an inch tall so this would be a first. I gingerly slipped them on and Mary fixed the straps before standing up.

"Well, what do you think?" I said, with a pose.

Mary giggled. "I think you look like a princess. A real, live princess and not just on the outside either."

* * *

It was already 5:15 and Lucy knocked on my door to check on me.

"Lady Ameri- Wow, you look hot," she said as soon as I opened the door.

I laughed. "You look very nice as well, Lucy."

Her dark, curly hair was pulled back in a side pony tail with strands hanging down on either side of her face. She donned a pretty, pale pink, spaghetti strap dress that barely touched the floor. A pair of white wedges were on her feet.

"Thank you, Lady," she said, politely. "Well, are you ready? I thought we could walk down a bit earlier."

I smiled. "Of course. We can do that."

Lucy held the door open for me as I walked out. Mary waved at me and smiled widely. Just then, Anna and Celeste came by, to say bye I think. When Anna saw me, she beamed proudly while her daughter gaped at me and her eyes flashed in frustration of God-knows-what.

The door closed with a soft click and Lucy walked ahead of me as I followed her to where the ball would be held.

We ended up in a huge and elaborately decorated ballroom. A large, crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling and tall windows covered every wall. Pressed against one of these walls was a long table that was draped with a blue, almost white, tablecloth. Plates of refreshments were placed in a row across the table.

As I continued to walk inside, I noticed that all the decorations were blue and white. Across the room was a large pedestal that had three thrones set on top: the largest one in the middle and jewel encrusted, the medium sized, gold one on the right, and the smaller one on the left had small, sapphires embedded in it.

"Admiring the thrones?" A voice asked.

I smiled. "Yeah I-" I stopped abruptly when I turned around and found myself centimeters away from Maxon's face. "-was," I finished.

"They're not much," he said, shrugging. This time, he wore a black suit and tie with a white dress shirt but had dark jeans instead of the expected black slacks.

"They look very expensive," I countered.

He shrugged again before another flirty grin appeared on his face. "You look very beautiful this evening, Lady America."

"It's 5 o' clock," I shot back.

He glanced at his silver wrist watch and looked back at me. "It's 5:27," he corrected.

I huffed. "27 minutes short. Big deal."

"It is a big deal," he said. I began to back up as he began to walk closer to me. "It determines how long I have to be alone with you until everyone else shows up."

My back hit the wall and I began to sweat. Bad. "Uh... I-uh-um..."

His face got closer and closer to mine and then... He started to chuckle. My face became red as I tried to be angry with him.

"Maxon Schreave!" I shrieked.

"You mean Maxon," he said, his cocky grin never leaving his face.

My eyes flashed. "Shut up," I snapped.

Suddenly, someone cleared his throat behind him, causing him to turn around in alarm.

King Clarkson.

"Dad..." Maxon began, sheepishly, as he rubbed the back of his neck.

The king scowled. "What is this?!" He bellowed.

Soon, girls began to file into the room, dressed up and eyes shifting around, looking for something. As soon as they caught sight of Maxon, most of them came running but stopped short when they saw me backed up against the wall.

"I can explain," he and I both said in unison.

To my and Maxon's surprise, Clarkson grinned from ear to ear. "You found one that you like, son! Nice job, my boy!" He said, clapping his son on the back. "She's pretty and I love her attitude."

Maxon sighed in relief. "Thanks, Dad. That's what struck me when I met her too."

I flushed and my gaze shifted to the other girls who were either gaping at me or hating on me. For some weird reason, I knew I wasn't going to be making any friends at this ball.

* * *

It was 2 hours into the Meet-and-Greet Ball and Maxon had kept me at arm's length the entire time. I tried using the bathroom excuse but wouldn't let me go.

"Why?" I asked.

He lowered his voice. "Because," he hissed. "I'd much rather be with rude and impolite you than too polite and shy them." He gesture to the other girls who were wandering aimlessly around the ballroom.

"Gee thanks," I said sarcastically. "I feel so special."

My eyes flickered to where King Clarkson and Queen Amberly sat on the middle and right most thrones. They both were beaming at their son, obviously happy that he found someone that he "liked" so early into the Elimination. My heart began to beat faster when Amberly got up d walked over to me, resulting in more hateful glares from the other girls, especially Miss Marlee Tames.

"Hello, my dear," Queen Amberly said with a smile as she approached me. "You are America Singer, correct?"

I nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty." Oh gosh, I'm expected to kill this woman?

"Well, I'm so glad it's you that my son is fond of. I read the interview notes and the other girls seem like b*****s."

I gasped at the queen's language.

"Mom," Maxon muttered under his breath. "Shush! You're making her uncomfortable. And seriously, you're a queen. Stop talking like that!"

I'm not going to lie. I do feel pretty uncomfortable. But I elbowed Maxon and smiled. "Oh please, Maxon, I'm fine."

Maxon sent me a look and raised an eyebrow. "Your eyes say something else," he whispered in my ear.

"Oh, back off, pretty boy," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Aw..." Queen Amberly cooed. "You two are so adorable!"

She turned to look at the other girls and frowned. Amberly sighed deeply. "Well, I'm off to make small talk with the other b-"

Maxon's glare cut his mother off.

"-eautiful ladies," she finished.

He nodded in approval. "Better."

"America, we _must_ have tea tomorrow afternoon!" The queen said excitedly. "The first round of the Elimination will be in three days so you and I absolutely _have_ to get together for some bonding time. I have a good feeling about you, my dear!"

All I could do was nod.

She walked away from us and towards a redheaded girl with freckles sprinkled across her cheeks. I can't be sure, but I thought I saw Amberly wrinkle her nose in disgust when she laid eyes on the girl.

Maxon nudged me. "So... You're having afternoon tea with my mom, huh?"

I nodded slowly. "Yep. It seems as though that is the case."

"Awkward," he singsonged.

I groaned. "Gimme a break!" I paused. "Can I go to the bathroom?" I asked, giving him a hopeful look.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Nope. You are staying right here, by my side, for the rest of the ball."

"And that's how much longer?"

Maxon quickly glanced at his watch. "At least another hour."

"Humph. My feet are killing me," I said, raising my dress ever so slightly to just above my ankles.

He let out a low whistle. "Wow..."

"I know! I'm going to eventually break my ankles in these!"

"No, I mean, you really don't know manners," he said. "Even I know that showing your ankles at a high class, sophisticated party such as this one is bad manners for ladies."

I gaped at him. "But that's ridiculous! What kind of rule is that?!"

"One that was made by our ancestors, years ago," a feminine voice said from behind me.

I spun around to find Marlee Tames and another girl walking towards me. When she saw my face, she scoffed. "This, is the competition? Oh just hand me the crown and the prince now!"

"Excuse me?" Maxon stepped up.

Marlee's eyes lit up. "Oh! Prince Maxon, it is wonderful to _finally_," she shot an angry glare in my direction, "get to speak with you. Why don't you join me and Kriss in getting something to eat?" She suggested. "It'll be better than talking to a hideous looking girl like her," she pointed a finger at me.

"Marlee Tames, is it?" He asked. She nodded, her curly blond hair bouncing. "Well, Marlee Tames, I'll have you know that America is very fun to talk to and I find her to be absolutely dazzling," he said, turning to wink at me. Maxon turned back to Marlee, his gaze hardening. "And both of my parents love her so you need to turn around and walk yourself to the refreshments table."

She clenched her jaw and glare at me. "Fine," she said haughtily. "Kriss! Come on." Marlee turned on her heal and walked away, her lavender colored dress swishing with every sway of her hips.

Kriss turned to me. "I am so sorry for Marlee's behavior. She's not usually like that," she said, apologetically.

"_Kriss!_" Marlee shouted.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Again, America, I am so sorry. And, Majesty, my deepest apologies." With that, Kriss ran off as fast as she could in her tall wedges.

"Seriously!" Maxon huffed. "I hate that girl!"

I snorted. "Be nice. What if she wins the Elimination? What then?

"I divorce her, duh," he said in his that's-so-obvious tone. "But she won't win."

"And you know that how?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He smiled, flashing his pearly whites at me. "Because I know _you're_ gonna win."

"Yeah, right. And how do you know _that_?"

Maxon laughed. "Because, America, I'm going to help you."

* * *

I finally got Maxon to leave me and go talk to the other girls. Well, I had to make him a deal: he plays nice with everyone tonight and he gets one visit to my room. _One_. As soon as I said that, he was running to go talk to a girl whose name I think is Tuesday McKay. I know right? What kind of person is named after a day of the week?

Another girl, I think her name is Natalie, came up to me. She wore a creme colored, halter strapped dress with a tight waist and flowing skirt with a train. She had dirty blond hair that was pinned to her head in twists and small braids that connected in a large, braided bun near the nape of her neck.

"Hello," she said, extending her hand. "My name is Natalie. You're America right? The pretty one?"

"Hi. Uh, excuse me?"

She giggled. "Well, did you hear what Gavril said on TV yesterday? He must be very fond of you to say what he did about you."

I blinked. "What'd he say?"

"How nice you seem, how cheery you probably are, how you'll most likely win the prince's heart... Mostly how pretty are though," she said. "He was very right."

I flushed. "Thanks. But I'm not. Pretty that is."

"See! You're so modest!" Natalie said, laughing. "You are very pretty, you know. And Maxon seems to love you."

I waved my hand. "Please. He likes to torture me!"

"How so?" She asked, eyes shining with excitement.

"Yeah, America. How so?"

I froze and my nostrils flared. I spun around, fists clenched. "_Why_ do you keep doing that?!"

Maxon smiled adorably. Uh no, I mean stupidly. "Oh, just because..."

"Because what?" I growled.

"Why are you so mad?" He asked, still grinning. "Touchy," he said, poking my bare arm.

I swatted his hand away. But why _am_ I so angry? I glared at him. "Cuz! You keep being _so annoying_!"

"That's it?" He said, bursting out laughing. Maxon threw an arm around my shoulders. "Oh come on, America! I'm the prince you're competing for, not the annoying brother you left behind at home."

And that's when I lost it. I wasn't as angry before but now, I'm a ticking bomb that's about to blow in 3... 2... 1...

I slapped his arm off my shoulder and glared at him hard. "I'll have you know, Maxon Schreave, that my brother is a doll and I'm only here because I need to kill-" I stopped. What was I saying? The only thing I'd succeed in doing if I told him I was here to kill his parents and him would be getting myself killed.

Maxon raised an eyebrow. "You're here to kill?"

I snorted. "Please. You didn't let me finish. I was saying that I was here to kill my family's bad future that will come if I don't win this thing. I'm here because I need the money to provide for my family or else they'll all die!" At this point, nearly all the girls were gathered around me and Maxon as I shrieked and threw my arms around as I spoke.

Many of them were muttering to each. "Aw... That poor baby." "Now we know..." "Is someone filming this?"

"Silence!" King Clarkson's voice echoes through the ballroom. He got up from his place on his throne and started walking towards me.

Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no...

Clarkson placed a hand on my shoulder as he stepped in front of Maxon to face me. "America, sweetheart, if that's the case, we will send your family money at this moment. How would you like that?" He asked, smiling.

No, America doesn't like that at all. I forced a smile. "Oh you don't have to, Your Majesty."

"But I want to. You've made my son happy so I want to repay you. Plus, your family needs help, so please, let me." He said, with a smile.

I curtsied. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Maxon beamed at me. Amberly was smiling. Clarkson shouted for a page to send in envelopes of money. The other girls sent hateful glares in my direction. Natalie quietly cheered for me. I smiled on the outside but was worrying on the inside. Boy, was I in deep water now.

**A/N: Thanks guys! Review please. Give me 5 more and I'll update faster!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey I'm back! Thank you so much for your patience! I'm going slowly but surely. You're in for a short but juicy chapter! You guys keep asking me what's up with Celeste? Well, you'll find out soon so please stop asking me! Whatever it is, you guys are gonna love it!**

**Shout Outs!**

**batman4132: Thanks! I tried to make it my own.**

**IDontKnowMyUsername: Wow, girl you just gave me a fabulous idea so thank you for that! Marlee is just jealous, that's all.**

**babysitter1997: Yeah I wanted to make it defferent. :) I'm glad you like it!**

**Uprebels: You just totally made my day with your review! XOXO**

**Erin: Dude, I'm serious when I say that it's people like you who keep me motivated to keep writing! So... Please don't stop! Hehe...**

**maxonamerica4ev: Don't worry. I will :)**

* * *

We were walking back to my room and I seriously wished I was dead. King Clarkson had told me that he'd personally deliver the money to my "oh-so-poor and dying" family and that he wanted me to come with him. Goody.

"You must be so happy that the king and queen like you so much!" Lucy said excitedly, completely contradicting my thoughts. "I have no doubt that you'll be the new queen!"

I gave an unconvincing smile. "Yeah... Woohoo," I said tiredly.

My escort frowned. "What?"

"Oh nothing," I breathed. "Nothing at all."

"Hm."

The next couple of moments of walking was completely silent. When we finally arrived at my suite, Lucy said goodnight and told me to be up and ready by 8:00 for the first round of the competition. With that, she left me to enter on my own. With that, she left me to enter on my own.

Mary had told me that she'd leave the doors unlocked at all times, except for when I was already asleep.

I entered the room to Mary's squeals and Anna's flying questions.

"Oh, Lady America! We heard about what the king said!" Mary trilled, jumping all over the place. "You must be sooo thrilled!"

Anna, although much more calm, was dishing out questions like her heart would stop if she stopped blabbing. "America, darling, did you make any friends? How was the prince? Was he gentlemanly enough? Did you get to speak with the king and queen? I bet everyone was climbing over each other just to get a glimpse of you, right? Am I right?"

I put my hands over my ears and, closing my eyes, let out a sharp cry of pent up anger and sadness at the king, at my parents, at my own brothers and sisters. It was all too much and I had too many things on my plate at once.

Mary stopped for a moment and walked up, closer to me. "Lady?" She stretched her small and dainty hand to me. "Are you all right?"

"No, Mary, I'm not," I said, coldly.

Her hand twitched away from me and back into the pocket of her clean, white apron.

Anna's eyebrows furrowed. "Lady America, what is the matter?"

My hands dropped from my ears back to my sides. "What's the matter? _What's the matter?!_" I shrieked, hysterically. "I have a king coming to my supposed house and he might as well kill me now because he's going to sentence me to death anyways when he figures out who I am and who my family is! Because of me, many more people are going to die! I don't need this. I don't need to be here!"

"Lady!" Anna said loudly. "Please! Calm down!"

I slumped onto the ground and cried. I haven't cried since my parents were killed and when I became a Rebel general, Kota refused to let me or anyone else in our family cry. He said it showed weakness and weak is the last thing that people need to think about us.

My breathing became heavy and labored as I sobbed. Mary knelt down and rubbed my back comfortingly. "Shhh... Lady, it's OK. Everything will be OK. Calm down."

I struggled to stop the tears from flowing but they just kept coming. I heard the doors fly open but, thinking it was just Celeste, I stayed where I was and continued what I had been doing. The sound of heavy footsteps became louder and louder until they stopped behind me.

Suddenly, a larger, warm hand was wrapped around my arm and pulled me around and into a hug. I didn't care who it was; I threw my arms around the person's neck and sobbed into their shoulder, drenching their smooth, black clothing in tears. He or she kept one arm secured around my waist and the other hand rubbed my back up and down.

"Come now, please don't cry," a strangely familiar, masculine voice whispered. "Shhh..."

Mary was the first to speak up. "Highness, with all due respect, what are you doing here?"

Highness? King Clarkson? Oh, heck no. The other, male 'highness' there is, is... Oh brother.

I pulled away slightly, sniffling, as I looked up into the person's blue eyes. Maxon was there, concern written all over his face. "America? America, are you all right? What's wrong?"

I jerked away from him, scrambling backwards until my back hit the edge of my bed. "Oh my God." I was _hugging_ Prince Maxon. I _cried_ into Prince Maxon's _shoulder_. What was wrong with me?! I hate him! Or I'm supposed to anyway.

"America?" Maxon said, hesitantly.

"What are you doing here?" I asked quietly.

He chuckled quietly. "Well, I thought that I'd use that one visit you gave me tonight since it was a pretty good day for me and I wanted to finish it with a bang. Then I heard you screaming or something from at least 15 doors down and I kind of came running..." He said sheepishly, rubbing his neck. He does that a lot when he's nervous, I can tell.

"Well, I'm fine now so you can show yourself out," I said, pointing to the door.

Maxon sighed and sat on the floor before lying down completely, head in my lap. "Just tell me first, why were you crying?"

"No reason."

He laughed. "Oh come on, America. I know you better than that. What's wrong?"

His words brought back memories of the same words being said to me by someone else just yesterday. Aspen. Then I realized just how guilty I felt. Aspen was still technically my boyfriend and here I was with a good looking, flirty guy's head in my lap.

I stood up slowly, Maxon bolting up and on his feet in a split second.

A crooked grin worked its way across my face. "You haven't known me for a day, Your Highness," I said jokingly. "How could 'know me better than that'?"

"America, now's not the time to mess around," he said, although I could tell he was trying to force back a grin.

My smile melted away and I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why not?"

"Because I'm worried about you," he said simply.

I scoffed. "No, you're not. There are 34 other girls that want you worrying about them. As for me..." I shook my head. "Just leave me alone."

With that, I got up from the floor and stomped off to the bathroom.

* * *

It took awhile for Maxon to understand that I wasn't coming out until he left so after a long 20 minutes, he walked out the door.

I opened the door, hesitantly and stepped out. Mary was there, looking at me with concern written all over her face. "Lady?"

"I'm fine, Mary. I just want to go to sleep," I said, tiredly.

Mary nodded. "OK. Let's get you ready for bed," she said, pulling my arm gently.

I followed her, slouching as she dragged me into the closet.

* * *

"America!" A voice hissed. I heard tapping from somewhere. "America! America Singer!"

I half opened my right eye and groaned. No, I'm definitely dreaming. I turned to my right and saw my digital clock flashing 1:29.

I was almost asleep once again when I heard the sound of shattering glass. I jolted upright and shot out of bed. Soon, I found myself at the large window above the marble table that sat in the corner of the room.

I looked around outside through the broken glass and gasped when I saw a figure just a few feet away from me. _Crap, what in Illea's name is going on? Who is that? A robber? Rebel? Rapist?_

That's when I saw him.

So many things were running through my head. _Why was he here? He should be in Relity. What would happen if he was caught. This has by far been America Singer's shittiest day._

"America," he whispered. His green eyes lit up at the sight of me and I closed my eyes to keep from looking at him. His dark hair was mussed and he was just as I left him.

I looked away. "What are you doing here, Aspen?"

**A/N: Whaddaya think? Short, I know...**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the incredibly long wait! And as much as I love reviews, I just want to say one thing. If you have anything to say that is offensive or totally bad mouthing me, keep it to yourself because I don't want to hear it. But if it's something encouraging, or constructive criticism, I'm all for it!**

* * *

What are you doing here, Aspen?" I asked with a breathy sigh.

His green eyes shone. "I had to see you, America."

I rolled my eyes. "Sure."

"I did!" He protested.

Um yeah, not buying that. "What does Kota want?" I asked, knowing that my brother had probably sent him.

Aspen sighed. "He wants to know how far along you are in making your little plan to-" he stopped abruptly and his eyes grew wide as he looked at something past me.

I spun around to find Maxon just closing my room door, wearing pajama pants and a thin white t shirt. When he saw me, he ran up and scanned the floor with his eyes. "What the heck happened here?! Are you hurt?"

I turned to make sure he couldn't see Aspen but I was shocked to find that my boyfriend was gone. My eyes found Maxon's as he kicked at the glass on the ground. "What are you doing here, Maxon?"

"Well, let's see... I was sleeping when I heard the sound of shattering glass and I came here."

"How did you hear that? I mean, where is your room?" I asked. "Not to sound all stalker-like and stuff..." I added quickly.

He grinned. "Across the hall from here."

My jaw dropped as I searched for something to say. "What the- How come- Why- Don't you have a room somewhere else?" I asked, irritatedly. "Of all places, why would your room be across from mine?"

"I wanted to be closer to you," he said, shrugging. "It's not a big deal, America. Just tell me what happened here."

I sighed and gestured to the glass. "This? Well, some person tried to break in here. I think it was a girl," I lied. "Probably Rebel."

Maxon nodded, a serious look on his face. "Hm... It's probably General Kota's sister. People say that she's more feared than Kota himself." He chuckled. "Funny thing is, we don't even know her name and we've never seen her. I've only seen her fight and she has some mad combat skills but I didn't get to see her face. She looked like she could be pretty though."

_Gee, who could she be?_ I thought sarcastically. "Well she sounds pretty scary to me."

"Don't worry," he said calmly. "I'll protect you." He laughed when he saw my face. I had one eyebrow raised and my lips pursed, hands on my hips like a mother waiting for her son to tell her the truth.

"Yeah, that's not necessary, Your Highness," I said, a smile plastered on my face. "I'm very capable of defending myself. You'll see for yourself when I make it to Round 2."

A crooked grin pushed its way across his face. "I'm sure you're very capable," he said, patting my back. Then that serious look was back. "But what was the general's sister doing here?" He tapped his chin as he thought intently. Maxon looked back up at me. "I'll have my people stand guard at the perimeter and some more outside your door and windows. You stay here."

Maxon turned to leave but stopped abruptly.

I was just about to ask him what was wrong when he came up to me and gave me a tight hug, along with a soft kiss on my forehead. Then, he disappeared.

I stood there, shocked, and touched the spot right between my eyebrows, the place where the prince's lips had been just a moment ago. I shook my head. _Get it together, America!_ I thought fiercely. _You need to make sure Aspen gets out of here safely._

After changing into a pair of comfortable, cotton pants, a loose t-shirt, and some sneakers, I hopped out the window. I looked around, hoping Maxon hadn't sent his guards yet. When I saw the coast was clear, I set out to search for Aspen.

"Aspen!" I hissed, my eyes darting around. Trees surrounded the palace and everywhere I looked was mostly green. "Aspen Leger!"

"I'm here," Aspen's voice said from somewhere above me.

I looked up to find Aspen sitting in a tree, casually, picking at a handful of deep red berries.

"What are you doing?" I snapped as he popped a berry into his mouth. "Those could be poisonous!"

He shrugged, nonchalantly. "We'll find out in a moment."

Aspen was quiet for a minute before laughing. "Nope. Not poisonous. I'm still alive so... Get up here. You might get caught."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "No. I can't stay here long."

Then I heard Maxon's voice. "Search every inch of this place! Do _not_ leave a single pebble unturned!"

"Well," Aspen whispered. "He's a tough cookie, isn't he? You sure you don't wanna come up?"

The sound of feet against the forest floor grew louder and louder and I groaned. Before I knew it, I was climbing up the tree and plopped down beside Aspen.

I held my breath as a group of soldiers stopped directly below us.

"Search the trees!" One man said.

My eyes grew wide as they began looking up, eyes shifting around.

It was dark and it was hard to see their faces clearly but I could've sworn one of them had been Queen Amberly's.

"America," Aspen whispered.

My hand shot out and clapped over his mouth. "Shut up!" I hissed.

After a couple moments, the group continued their search in a different location. I let out a sigh of relief and let my hand fall from over Aspen's lips.

"It's about time," Aspen grumbled, smacking his lips. "My mouth was suffering from air deprivation."

"Your lungs will be suffering from air deprivation if you don't shut it," I retorted. I climbed down the tree and waited for him to do the same. When his feet were firmly planted on the ground, I turned to him and crossed my arms.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "What?"

I shook my head. "Nothing." I turned to walk back to my room. "You need to go."

I had already taken a step forward when he said, "America, we're going to have to talk!" I heard his footsteps behind me.

"Nothing to talk about," I said, still walking. "We're over, right?"

The footsteps stopped and before I could say anything more, Aspen was retreating into the trees. When I looked back, I couldn't see him anymore.

I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning against the nearest tree. "Oh God, why me?"

"America!" Maxon came up running to me. "There you are," he said, my eyes fluttering open as he wrapped me in a hug. "I was so worried."

I rolled my eyes. "Again with the worrying! Geez, man!"

"What are you doing here?" He asked, pulling away from me. "Are you hurt?"

I did a little spin for him and raised an eyebrow. "Do I look hurt to you?"

Maxon scanned me up and down with his eyes. "Well... I don't see any external injuries..." He paused. "Any internal injuries? At all?"

"No."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God." Then he grew serious again. "What are you doing out? You could've been caught by the general's si-"

"Yeah, yeah. The general's sister," I said in a sarcastic tone. "Big whoop."

"She is dangerous, America," Maxon argued. "Don't you have a single, sensible cell in your body?"

I placed my hands on my hips and looked him in the eye. "She isn't dangerous to the villagers or the other people who aren't of royal blood. She just hates the royal family," I blurted out. As soon as I realized what I said, my eyes grew wide and I clapped both hands over my mouth.

_Stupid, America! Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

"What?" Maxon said, narrowing his eyes. "How do you know that?"

I shrugged, letting my hands fall to my sides. "Just a hunch," I squeaked.

He looked at me suspiciously. He definitely knew I was hiding something. "Right. Anyways," he said hurriedly. "We have to get back to our rooms. That Rebel woman is still on the loose."

Maxon grabbed my hand and dragged me back towards the palace. Now that I think about it, it's rather dumb to have an Elimination contestant in a room that leads straight out to the forest.

As soon as we made it to my broken window, Maxon helped me through it and then hopped in after me. "Go to sleep," he said sternly. "Understand?"

I nodded.

"I don't want to see or hear from anyone else that you made it out there or my mother will personally behead me, got it?"

I nodded. Again.

Maxon smirked at me. "I'll let myself out."

I watched he walked out before collapsing on my bed and falling asleep.

* * *

"Lady? Lady! Wake up please, Lady America," a voice said.

I groaned and pulled the covers over my head. "Leave me alone, Kenna."

"It's Mary, Lady. You have morning tea with the queen in an hour," my maid said.

After five minutes of coaxing and tickling, I was up and in my bath. Mary dressed me in a white, sweetheart cut gown that barely touched the ground. The skirts were made of paper thin layers of material and made me feel like I was wearing a cloud. The peasant style sleeves were so light that it almost felt like it wasn't there. Mary helped me into a pair of white, open-toed heels that was short enough for me to be able to walk comfortably without wobbling around on my toes.

I looked at my reflection in the full length mirror as Mary arranged my hair in a long, side braid and placed a halo of flowers on my head. She then dusted my cheeks with a light layer of blush and stepped back to examine her work.

"What do you think?" Mary asked bashfully, nibbling on her bottom lip.

I smiled at her and fingered the sleeves. "It's great, Mary. You've outdone yourself yet again."

The maid squealed and clapped her hands, giddily. "Yay! Now off you go," she said ushering me towards the door.

When she opened the door, I was shocked to find Maxon in a position where it looked like he was about to knock.

He seemed to be shocked by my appearance. "Um..."

I glared at him. "I don't care if you think I look like a freak because I like how I look." I started out the door and walked down the hallway and towards the elevator.

Maxon rushed up to me as I pushed the down button. "No, no! Don't get me wrong, America! You look great," he said, grabbing my arm. "Just like an angel, minus the wings."

"Gee thanks," I said, stepping into the elevator. Maxon walked in after me and pressed the 'L' button.

I shot him a skeptical look. "Why are you following me?"

"I'm supposed to escort you to tea with my mother," he said simply, straightening his black tie. With his black suit and my white dress, I almost felt like we were off to a wedding. Our wedding. For some reason, I wasn't as repulsed with the idea as I would have been three days ago.

When we head the 'ding' and the elevator doors opened, Maxon offered me his arm. I just looked at it like it might give me some sort of disease before looking up into his face. "Do I have to?" I asked, like a child who was just told to eat his vegetables.

Maxon sighed. "It's proper."

I groaned and latched onto his arm. He led me out to a large and very colorful garden. We stopped at an enormous gazebo where a table set out with tea stuff sat. Hey, I'm not familiar with anything too proper so don't judge me when I say stuff. I didn't even know what lipstick was until Mary told me. Being raised Rebel, there was no room to study the different kinds of forks and spoons.

Queen Amberly was sitting in one of the chairs that were placed around the white, round table and she got up on her feet as she saw us approaching. She dusted off her rose pink dress and smiled. "America! I'm so glad you could make it!"

Maxon slipped into a chair while I waited for the queen to sit down again before I did. "I wouldn't miss this, Your Highness," I said politely. _Supposed to kill her_, I chanted in my head. _Supposed to kill her, supposed to kill her._

"Please help yourself," Amberly said, gesturing to the tiny sandwiches and breakfast pastries. "I recommend the green tea cakes. They're to die for!"

I smiled. "Thank you, Your Highness."

Queen Amberly rolled her eyes. "That's Amberly to you, dearest."

Maxon's eyes widened. Um... Why?

"Thank you, A-amberly," I said awkwardly.

The queen's laugh rang out in the garden. "There we go!" She grabbed the handle of the teapot and poured me a cup of light brown tea. "Drink up!"

Then she took up a different pot of tea and poured a more rosy colored tea for her son and herself. When she caught me staring at her confusedly, she smiled. "Me and Maxon's tea have a special vitamin in it. It helps with stress," she explained.

I nodded. "Ooohhh... I see," I said, sipping the hot tea.

"We have special vitamin tea?" Maxon asked Queen Amberly. "Since when?"

"Since your father decided it helps loosen your body up," she said in a strained voice. The queen looked like she was hiding something but I didn't think much of it. I later found out that that was one of several mistakes that I would make.

After several moments of talking and laughing, the queen looked at Maxon and said, "Son, will you go run and get Mother a bouquet of those blue flowers I love so much? Make sure none of them have any brown or bugs OK?"

"But those flowers all have those tiny black bugs in them," Maxon complained. "It's gonna take forever to get them off." That's when I began to get really dizzy.

Queen Amberly cut him a fierce look. "Maxon!" she barked. "Go!" The loudness of her voice made my ears ring and blotches of black clouded my vision.

He got up and walked away, silently, eyes on the ground.

Suddenly, everything cleared up and I shook my head.

"Are you OK, America?" Queen Amberly asked. "You look terrible."

_Gee, thanks, I feel incredible now,_ I thought sarcastically. "Uh... I am," I said. Wait what? "I mean I am." I was trying to say 'I'm fine.'

The queen smiled. "Fantastic! It works! Now, America?"

"Yes, Amberly?" I said.

"Who are you really?" She asked, smiling evilly at me. "I know you're not who you say you are so out with it!"

I gritted my teeth. I did not see that coming. "I won't," I forced out. "I won't tell you."

Amberly seemed stunned by my response but then just laughed again. "Well you have a strong will don't you, America?"

"What did you put in that tea?"

She smiled. "Oh just a little drug. It's a truth-telling serum." Then her face became totally straight as she stared me down. "Now tell me. Who are you?!"

I tried my best to keep my mouth shut but words slipped out against my will. "I'm America Singer, Kota Singer's sister." I clamped my mouth shut after that and let my head fall onto the table. I'm so dead.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it's really short you guys... And also, sorry if you don't like it too... Let me know what you think. I honestly say it's not my best work but did you guys expect Amberly to be this way? XD**


	7. Author's Note

Hey guys...

So if you opened this, excited for a new chapter, I guess you'll be kinda disappointed.

I have too much on my plate right now and I can't handle writing three stories so unfortunately, I will be deleting this fanfic...

I apologize for making you guys wait for so long and then suddenly saying that I will be giving up on this, but I hope you enjoyed what was there.

~R


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